Generosity Ministry Team

Each Sunday, thirty percent of the offering goes to support of the Community Outreach Ministry at Unity Church and seventy percent is placed in the hands of the chosen community recipients.

In October 2007 the Generosity Ministry Team established relief collections when local and state emergencies occur. One hundred percent of the money collected in these emergency collections will go directly to targeted disaster relief.

The Generosity Ministry Team oversees the distribution of the Sunday plate. Members of this team are Dick Buggs, Matt Brown, Molly Gust, Laney Ohmans, Patricia Ohmans, Rebecca Flood, and Lisa Friedman. The Generosity Ministry Team members want to hear form you. Please bring any concerns/opinions you may have have to their attention. To nominate a plate recipient, please complete the nomination form available on this website. Send that completed form to any team member. To nominate a recipient for a second time, please resubmit the original nomination form.

March Offering Recipients

February 24: East Side Freedom LibraryEast Side Freedom Library (ESFL), located in the Arlington Hills Library, aims to inspire solidarity, advocate for justice, and work toward equity for all. The telling and gathering of stories is a major theme for ESFL. Formal interviews, workshops, and small-scale public performances allow local residents to learn about the work and residential histories of the East Side. Through art and culture ESFL has created a crossroads through which neighbors can move into the larger energy of common purpose in their work for social and economic justice. This collection will be matched by a grant from St. Paul’s STAR program. Unity Church members Andy Steiner-Manning and Rick MacPherson are both ESFL board members.

March 3: Project NamnyakiProject Namnyaki provides need based scholarships to students at the Namnyaki Girls Secondary Boarding School in Tanzania. Namnyaki School provides a safe and supportive community for approximately 70 girls, most of whom might otherwise be forced into early marriage and never have an opportunity to pursue education. Tuition with room and board runs close to $500 per year. The project’s goal is to raise funds for 10 scholarships in each of the four secondary grades. Unity’s Joe Lewis, Education Professor at Hamline University, is the director of Project Namnyaki and a frequent guest teacher at the school.

March 10: Growth & JusticeGrowth & Justice is a non-partisan, non-profit, research and advocacy organization, focused on expanding prosperity in Minnesota. It promotes policies that reduce inequality and eliminate racial disparity through investment in human capital and public infrastructure by ensuring universal and affordable health care, and through a cleaner and greener economy. Unity Church member Dane Smith is president of Growth & Justice.

March 17: Listening House St. PaulListening House is a sanctuary from the streets where practical assistance, counsel, and a friendly ear are offered to people who are homeless, disadvantaged, or lonely. Staff and volunteers aspire to create a sense of community and belonging by providing respect for all. About 120 adults visit Listening House daily. Over 10,000 volunteer hours annually breathe spirit and love into this humble space where rich friendships are established and nurtured. Unity Church member Bernie Troje is a strong voice for Listening House.

March 24: Balazs Scholar ProgramThis offering supports the Balazs Scholar Program that brings a minister from the Unitarian homeland of Transylvania to study in the U.S. at the Starr King School for the Ministry. This offering is rooted in the bonds between Unity Church and Unity’s partner church village in Homorodszntpeter.

March 31: People Helping PeoplePeople Helping People in the Border Zone (PHP) is an all volunteer community organization of Arivaca, a group of Arizona residents providing crisis-relief and working for border demilitarization. Its mission is to work together for the protection of human life, regardless of immigration status. PHP distributes resources for humanitarian aid: water gallons, food packs, home medical kits, clothing, Red Cross international phone service, legal and medical assistance, consulate information, Spanish-language interpretation, and more. Hallman Ministerial Intern Kathryn Jay nominated PHP.

Offering Principles

If you would like to nominate an organization, please fill out the Offering Recipient Nomination Form at right.

Offering PrinciplesThe Unity Church Generosity Ministry Team and the Executive Team developed the following criteria for Sunday Offering nominations from congregation members. Potential offering recipients must meet the following principles:

Potential offering recipients should meet the following criteria:

Their mission/values must reflect the core values of Unity Church.

Recipients must have a connection with Unity through shared work or church support.

The offering will be significant in relation to the size of the organization’s or project’s budget.

The bulk of the recipient budget goes to meeting the mission of the organization instead of overhead costs.

All nominations are considered. However, the Generosity Ministry Team places a special emphasis on smaller non-profits whose annual budget is $500,00.00 or less.